Four years ago I had gastric bypass surgery. Funny thing, when I was born I was a runt, sickly child. My dad would make me special milk shakes with eggs in them so that I would grow and get a little "meat" on my bones. The tiny me hung around for quite a few years and then the tinier me left.
Being overweight is a combination of things for most people. Genetics, nervous habit, enjoys food, etc, etc, etc (sorry love musicals). If it is in the "genes", it is a battle you will fight all of your life. If it is a nervous habit, it is one you will have to battle to keep under control. If you enjoy food, well I have no good answer for you as being a foodie it is not easy when you truly enjoy food.
The final tipping of the scales for me was when I was no longer able to move comfortably. The knees were worn out, but surgery was not going to be a good answer because I was too heavy for the surgery. Luckily I had not become diabetic. Sleep apnea, yes. High blood pressure, you got it. Cholesterol on the rise. All signs that my health was deteriorating.
Dieting was a yo-yo exercise for me. Atkins, Weight Watchers, Mayo Clinic all would work for a time period and then I would fall off the wagon and be back on the gaining spree. For every 20 pounds I would lose, I would gain 30 back. Not a pretty picture.
Weight loss surgery is not the "easy out" that you will hear people talk about. After much research I traveled down to Grinnell, Iowa, and met with Dr. David Coster to see about having a lap band, my preferred method as it was not as invasive. Jeff came with me to learn all that he could from this visit. I was comfortable with Dr. Coster and his assistant Stephanie from the beginning, which is a good thing because you see a lot of these folks. We watched movies, heard the pros, cons, good, bad, and ugly. We found out that I would be going through a lot of testing, meetings, appointments with other specialists before this surgery would happen and the surgery was going to be a gastric bypass as I was not a good candidate for the lap band. This meant a lot of trips to Grinnell.
Before my surgery Jeff and I went on vacation to the UP of Michigan. We did a lot of soul searching and visiting about whether this was the right decision for us and it definitely was a surgery that affected both of us so we both needed to talk through it. I was pro and Jeff was con, but still very supportive if I chose to go that route.
Back and forth to meet with Stephanie to discuss surgery more, meet the nutritionist to learn how to eat all over again, to meet with the physical therapist to learn about movement and how important it would be. All of these trips were made with Joyce, my "sis". Joyce is a dear lady who my mom brought into my life to be there for me once mom was no longer with me and be with me Joyce was cheering me on all the way.
The surgery day came and it was a success. Down 200 pounds it was like finding a new person under there. Now it has been 4 years and I am able to walk, hike, ride bikes, snowshoe, and enjoy life. Food choices are something I have to be careful of as different things are not tolerated. Dehydration is a battle because I don't like drinking water. Coffee, tea, wine, you betcha ya. Water not so much. Then the back aches and I know it is time to get on the water bandwagon. Kidney stones are a little bothersome problem that pop up from time to time as a side effect of the surgery. Iron deficiency is another issue (even with our water up here in the mining country). This is not a surgery I would recommend to everyone. In fact I would say research, think long and hard because it is a life changing surgery, and remember it fixes the weight issue not all of the other problems in your life. You have to like you fat or thin as being thin does not change that.
I still have the best support system around, Jeff, Joyce, and my friends. Jeff watches my.food intake faithfully daily (I tend to get busy and to forget I need to eat). He packs my lunch for work, buys snacks that are healthy for me, and pampers me. Joyce is still the best sis anybody could ask for, always there with her ear and her heart, now unfortunately far away in miles, but still there.
On the upbeat since the surgery I spent a wonderful day with my grandson that would not have been possible before. We went trout fishing and then sightseeing to Bond Falls, climbing all of the way to the top and back down. I was a little more out of breath than he was and a little slower, but I made it!
Four years ago, wow, it does not seem that long ago. Happy anniversary and now go get a glass of water please!
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